LOS ANGELES – They sacked the quarterback seven times and intercepted four of his passes.

They didn’t allow a touchdown until the final 30 seconds and surrendered a per-rush average of 2.2 feet.

USC’s defense scored as many touchdowns in the season opener as Hawaii’s offense did, one apiece.

Still, this is football. So, before offering an assessment, the Trojans had to look at the tape.

And what did they see?

“We put a party on film,” safety Dion Bailey said. “When someone made a play, everyone around him was excited. We just showed how much everyone means to each other. All 11 of us were celebrating.”

A party of 11, the Trojans just took their first unburdened steps under new coordinator Clancy Pendergast, who was brought in modernize a defense that had spent the previous three seasons in the middle of the pack in college football.

If you’re unfamiliar with USC, middle of the pack is unacceptable and generally leads to only one conclusion: end of the line.

So Lane Kiffin had to say goodbye to his father, Monte, who resigned as defensive coordinator after last season, the needs of the Trojan family trumping the bonds of the Kiffin family.

OK, fine, but it took only one game to fix everything?

“I don’t want to downgrade our opponent, but, at the end of the day, it was Hawaii,” defensive end Leonard Williams said. “We gotta play better against a lot better opponents coming up this year.”

Saturday night at the Coliseum, it’s the Washington State Cougars, who, although they aren’t expected to do much this season, certainly will try to do it with flair. Their quarterback threw 65 times in a season-opening loss at Auburn.

Does the NCAA have rules about limiting players to pass counts? At that pace, the Cougars could become the first football team with a bullpen. They also could routinely require four hours to play four quarters.

So, Trojans fans, pace yourselves during that tailgate Saturday. It could be a long night for you, even if USC is rolling on the field and the scoreboard.

Four hours also is a long time for Kiffin to ponder who his No. 1 quarterback should be. Of course, he already has had more than four weeks to figure it out and still isn’t sure.

In the meantime, USC’s defenders have flashed the ability to win games nearly by themselves, at least against double-digit underdogs, a group that includes Washington State.

“We feel the pressure that we have to perform,” Bailey said. “There is no past, no future. There’s just the now.”

And the now is all about Pendergast and his aggressive, attacking, blitzing style that suddenly has unleashed the Trojans. Bailey praised the coach’s “mind power,” especially when it comes to scheming against the spread offenses that await in the Pac-12.

Pendergast will make himself available to the media and answer questions, though he isn’t particularly quotable. But if that mattered, Ralph Waldo Emerson would have been hired by the Oakland Raiders.

We did check Pendergast’s Twitter page for insight and his most recent post was dated June 20. So he clearly has been occupied with more significant things than forwarding links about weight loss.

“We’re just out there having fun, running around and making plays,” Williams said. “We’re just balling, doing what we do. We don’t have to go out there and stress. Everyone knows their assignment. It’s not like a big burden on anyone. We’re just out there playing football.”

Said linebacker Devon Kennard: “We can do a lot more things in this defense. It gives everybody an opportunity to make plays. As a player, that’s all you can ask for.”

Against Hawaii, Bailey had a sack on the game’s opening play. He also had one of USC’s interceptions.

Neither of those moments, however, was his most memorable. Instead, Bailey said he loved what he saw on tape as teammate Josh Shaw was returning his interception for a second-quarter touchdown.

It was a parade, maybe, given USC’s new unbridled defensive approach, a Mardi Gras parade.

“What impressed me most was how many guys were leading him into the end zone,” Bailey said. “I mean, normally you see a guy get an interception and maybe there’s one guy running in front of him. But it was pretty much the whole defense in front of him, looking to block someone.”

A party of 11, USC’s defenders sound ready for their next assignment. It comes Saturday, under the lights, at home, against an opponent that prefers to toss the ball around.

Could be another party on film. Who knows? With the way Washington State plays offense, could be something really graphic, something that exposes even more than the Hawaii game did.

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